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Hearing the names of Hogwarts’ Houses evokes a sense of competition. Every student wanted to win the House Cup, and we cheered when Harry Potter and Gryffindor won by a very close margin.

But if you’ve ever tried to create your own “House Cup,” you know how challenging it can be. Not anymore with LiveSchool’s House Points App! Schools can now organize students into “Houses” where their individual points roll up into a shared total. Through friendly competition, students can learn the importance of teamwork and participating in something larger than themselves.

Today, we’ll share the story behind House Points, how it works, and the ways schools have already benefited from using this exciting new feature.

House Points Helps Build School Culture

The reception of House Points has been overwhelmingly positive across teachers, students, and administrators. Below are just some of the ways schools have been benefiting:

Forming Deeper Connections with Students

House Points gives administrators and teachers the ability to connect with students across their schools. Teachers can see how their class or grade house is performing compared to others. Some schools have even created bracelets and t-shirts for students to show off their team spirit!

The House points system is valuable to me because it connects me to students across all the grade levels. – Mrs. Gregory, Teacher

New and Exciting Prizes

Teachers and admins are free to organize competitions how they want. For example, schools may want to set a goal every month, with the winning team claiming a House Cup-like prize at the end of the year.

Every month there is a different challenge, and the best part? There is always a different reward." – Mrs. Marks, Assistant Principal

Celebrating with Teammates

By sharing a common goal, students are motivated to work together, help each other, and set aside differences. Not to mention they get to celebrate together if they win!

I am looking forward to the pizza party reward because we get to celebrate together as a team. – Morgan, Student

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Case Study: E.A. Cox Middle School

One school that’s gone the extra mile to use House Points is E. A. Cox Middle School of Columbia, Tennessee. Students across grade levels (and teachers!) were randomly assigned to one of three Houses.

E.A. Cox teachers have said that belonging to the same house was a powerful ice-breaker for starting a conversation with students. Each house has their own color, and members were given t-shirts to show their house spirit.

Competitions are held on a monthly basis. Rewards for the winning house have included free lunch, extra recess time, and pizza parties.

Customize Your House System

Houses can be sorted in the following ways:

Blended: LiveSchool’s software can randomly assign students to houses.

Grade: Houses can be organized by grade:

Rosters: Houses can be built around existing schools rosters.

LiveSchool currently supports up to 12 Houses per school, giving schools the flexibility to organize competitions at the classroom, grade, or school level.

You can reset your House competition at any time, so you can run it weekly, daily, or each semester. You can even decide whether negative behavior should take away from a student’s House total!

Adults Like House Points, Too!

LiveSchool decided to run its own House Points competition with administrators attending last summer’s LiveSchool Summit. Attendees competed based on a rubric created especially for Summit, which included:

• Posting photos on social media
• Participating in workshops and break out sessions
• Signing up as a LiveSchool Ambassador

The top three earners won a TV monitor that the school could use for their own House Points competition! The winning house each won a LiveSchool plaque for their desk!

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Everyone at Summit loved the competition – showing us that students and adults aren't so different after all! 

Just the Beginning

E.A. Cox is just one example of what’s to come. Many schools that use LiveSchool are planning to kick off 2018 with their own House Points system. If your school already has a subscription, House Points comes included with LiveSchool!

If you’re interested in learning how to add school spirit, camaraderie, and friendly competition with House Points, download our House Points Guide or contact us and we’ll help you get started!

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Let the games begin!